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The Rex
Entry 47 of 61 | show all | print this entry |
Since reunification in 1975, its' official name has been Ho Chi Minh city. Truth is, nothing really changed with regards to names... everyone still calls it Saigon. We arrived by bus from Mui Ne, taking 5 hours to traverse a mere 200 km. Driving thru the streets of Bien Hoa at night looks like Crenshaw...the streets are wide and low, every fifth structure is a church, the men, all bare chested and smoking Marlboroughs. In the south it becomes evident that in South East Asia, only the Phillipines has a larger Christian community. For hours we passed hords of Christmas lights, 6 foot Jesus statues and massive Catholic churches. I've never seen such a continuous display.
Arriving in Saigon the bus dropped us off at district one - central Saigon. Immediately, we set out on foot for the Rex Hotel. During the American/Vietnam war, The Rex was the accomodation of choice for U.S. army officers. This colossal white building lights up in the night and juts out directly into the buzz and chaos of Saigon traffic... around the corner, the older and more prestigous Continental Hotel stands as another reminder of Saigon's war time legacy. Graham Greene's 'Quiet American' takes place here.
The rooms at the Rex proved a little too costly (105-300$) so we settled for a drink at the rooftop bar/restaurant that overlooks the square. Headed back west and found a 12$ room.
Latest Comments (1)
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Hello from Canada... (reply)
Dec 29, 2006 15:05 EST by lianne
I hope you guys have a very Happy New Year!
Things are good here in Canada, I played some stick yesterday with my team from last year and it was awesome getting on the ice again.
Anyways, hope you guys have a great one and I look forward to reading the next journey.
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